A really common worry that lots of new mothers have is whether their breastfed baby is feeding too much. This often isn’t helped by people around you suggesting that you should feed them less often, that your baby is somehow manipulating you, or that just because your baby feeds lots then you don’t have enough milk.
Breastfed babies naturally feed lots. Breastmilk is very easily digested and breastfed babies tend to take smaller regular feeds. This means that they can easily feed every two hours or more and often feed on and off over a short period of time known as ‘cluster feeding’. If your baby is having lots of wet nappies, looks hydrated and alert, and is growing in length then feeding often is not a sign that you don’t have enough milk. You can check the signs of whether your baby is getting enough on the NHS website.
It’s really important not to try and limit the amount your breastfed baby feeds as it can affect your milk supply. Breastfeeding usually works best when it is done ‘responsively’. Responsively means feeding your baby whenever they ask to be fed rather than looking at the clock or thinking they should have a set amount of feeds per day. Responsive feeding helps ensure a good supply of breastmilk. Breastfeeding works on a ‘demand and supply’ basis. The more milk that is removed from the breast, the more milk is made.
Our research has looked at how often babies fed and the importance of responsive feeding. Mums told us that they face lots of pressure from those around them to put their baby in a routine and feed them less, often because people around them don’t really understand how breastfeeding works.
However, we found that when breastfed babies were fed responsively – usually every two hours or more and including at night, mothers usually breastfeed for longer. Conversely, when mums tried to put their babies into a feeding routine, either because they were worried that their baby was feeding too much or finding frequent feeding inconvenient, they were more likely to end up with difficulties such as pain or a low milk supply and stopping breastfeeding often before they were ready.
Find out more:
- You can read a summary of our research and the importance of responsive breastfeeding on the Kelly Mom website.
- We also wrote an article about responsive feeding and breastfeeding for NCT Perspectives magazine.
- We have made an animation explaining how often babies really feed and the importance of responsive feeding here. Please feel free to share with others.
- You might identify with our blog about the pressures new mums often feel to get their baby to feed less often and why this can be damaging to breastfeeding.
- You can listen to Professor Amy Brown talking about the importance of responsive feeding at the Maternity and Midwifery festival.